Cooling circuit of oil cooler for vehicle

ABSTRACT

A cooling circuit of an oil cooler for a vehicle that reduces the number of parts and provides an elegance appearance of the engine by applying a cooling circuit structure of a parallel type oil cooler having a good layout and a high cooling efficiency to configure the cooling circuit of the oil cooler having a simplified and independent flow path structure without any pipe coming out of the engine. The cooling circuit receives a cooling water of the lowest temperature through a cooling water inlet formed in a cylinder block to cool the oil cooler and directly connects the cooling water of the oil cooler to a cooling water intake established in a water pump.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2006-0111556, filed on Nov. 13, 2006, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a cooling circuit of an oil cooler for a vehicle and, more particularly, to a cooling circuit having a simplified and independent flow path structure without any pipe coming out of the engine.

2. Description of Related Art

In general, a vehicle engine is composed of various parts such as cylinder block, cylinder head, piston, crank shaft, connecting rod, cam, etc. While such parts operate at high speed, heat is always produced in the regions where the parts are into contact with each other and, accordingly, the respective friction regions and sliding regions are to be cooled and lubricated using lubricants (oil). That is, the oil functions to remove the heat produced in the friction region and the sliding region to cool the same.

Oil heated in the process of cooling the respective regions of the engine radiates the heat while it is returned to an oil pan; however, the oil cooling only by the radiation of heat in the oil pan is insufficient in an engine running at high speed, thus using a separate oil cooler. Oil coolers in a diesel engine are generally classified into a series structure, in which a cooling water circuit of the engine is connect to a cooling circuit of the cylinder block in series, and a parallel structure, in which the oil cooler is mounted on the outside of the cylinder block.

However, there have been various complicated problems in that the size of the oil cooler in the series structure is restrictive and the oil cooler in the parallel structure should use pipes, while it has an advantage in term of a layout. For such reasons, the oil cooler having the series structure with the cooling water has been most widely used in the commercial diesel engine. For example, if a lot of resistance is given to the cooling water flow in the conventional oil cooler, the cooling efficiency is relatively decreased and its capability of regulating temperature is lowered and, further, since the size of the oil cooler is large, it occupies a large volume in the engine layout.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide a cooling circuit of an oil cooler for a vehicle includes an independent and shorter circuit that receives a cooling water of the lowest temperature through an entrance of a cylinder block to cool the oil cooler and directly connects the cooling water of the oil cooler to a water pump intake and, thus, it can supply higher flux to small flow paths due to the large difference of the pressure and maximize the cooling efficiency due to the large difference of the temperature, since it cools only the oil cooler with the introduced cooling water and the cooling circuit of the oil cooler is directly connected to a water pump intake of the lowest pressure.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a cooling circuit of an oil cooler for a vehicle that receives a cooling water of the lowest temperature through a cooling water inlet formed in a cylinder block to cool the oil cooler and directly connects the cooling water of the oil cooler to a cooling water intake established in a water pump.

As a further exemplary embodiment, the cooling circuit of an oil cooler for a vehicle in accordance with the present invention comprises: a cooling water intake and a cooling water outlet, established in the water pump, through which a cooling water of low temperature cooled in a radiator is inhaled and supplied to the cylinder block; a cooling water inlet, provided in the cylinder block, through which the cooling water discharged via the cooling water outlet is introduced to the cylinder block; an oil cooler inlet and an oil cooler outlet, arranged in the cylinder block, through which the cooling water is supplied from the cooling water inlet to the oil cooler to cool the oil cooler and, then, discharged again to the cylinder block; and a path for collecting cooling water, formed in the water pump, through which the cooling water introduced via the oil cooler outlet to the cylinder block is supplied to the cooling water intake of the water pump.

As another exemplary embodiment, the oil cooler inlet and outlet have a pressure difference. Moreover, the cooling circuit is composed of the cylinder block and the water pump only.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other features of the present invention will be described with reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof illustrated the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view depicting a state where an oil cooler for a vehicle in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is mounted in a cylinder block;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating a structure of a cooling circuit of an oil cooler for a vehicle in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view depicted an oil cooler inlet and outlet in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an extracted view depicting an entrance for returning cooling water and a cooling water intake in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an internal cross-sectional view depicting an entrance for returning cooling water and a cooling water outlet in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a plane view depicting a cooling circuit of an oil cooler for a vehicle in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 7 is a block diagram illustrating an operation state of a cooling circuit of an oil cooler for a vehicle in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a cooling circuit of an oil cooler 10 comprises a cooling water inlet 14 formed in a cylinder block 13, through which a cooling water flowing in a radiator 12 is introduced via a water pump 11, and an oil cooler inlet 15 established to supply the cooling water introduced into the cylinder block 13 to the oil cooler 10.

Moreover, the cooling circuit of the oil cooler 10 further comprises an oil cooler outlet 16, arranged in parallel to the oil cooler inlet 15, through which the cooling water supplied to the oil cooler 10 to cool the oil cooler 10 only is provided to the cylinder block 13.

For the configuration of the cooling circuit of the oil cooler 10, a path 17 for collecting cooling water is established, though which the cooling water heated via the heat exchange with the oil cooler 10 is collected to the water pump 11. Moreover, an entrance 18 for returning cooling water is arranged in the water pump 11, through which the cooling water is introduced to the water pump 11 via the path 17 for collecting cooling water. A cooling water intake 19 is provided in the water pump 11, through which the heated cooling water introduced via the entrance 18 for returning cooling water is mixed with the water of the lowest temperature cooled in the radiator 12.

Furthermore, a cooling water outlet 20 is established in the water pump 11, through which the cooled water is supplied again to the oil cooler 10. The cooled water is made by introducing the water of low temperature cooled in the radiator 12 into the water pump 11 through the cooling water intake 19 and by mixing the water of high temperature introduced through the entrance 18 for returning cooling water with the cooling water of low temperature.

An operation state of the cooling circuit of the oil cooler in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described as follows.

If the water pump 11 takes incooling water cooled in the radiator 12 through the cooling water intake 19 and then starts supplying the cooling water to the cylinder block 13 through the cooling water outlet 20, the cooling water is supplied to the oil cooler 10 through the cooling water inlet 14 of the cylinder block 13 and the oil cooler inlet 15. Subsequently, the cooling water that cools the oil cooler 10 only is heated via the heat exchange and flows out through the oil cooler outlet 16.

The cooling water of high temperature introduced through the oil cooler outlet 16 flows in the water pump 11 through the path 17 for collecting cooling water. Here, the cooling water is introduced into the water pump 11 through the entrance 18 for returning cooling water. At this time, the water pump 11 takes in cooling water cooled in the radiator 12 through the cooling water intake 19 and mixes with the cooling water of high temperature to be cooled. After the cooling water of high temperature is cooled in the water pump 11, the water pump 11 supplies the cooling water of low temperature to the cylinder block 13 repeatedly through the cooling water outlet 20.

The cooling circuit as described above that forms an independent cooling circuit of the oil cooler in the whole cooling system has advantages in that it is possible to ensure a large flux with small flow paths due to the large difference of pressure between the oil cooler inlet 15 and outlet 16 and, further, it is possible to readily control the flux, thus ensuring the performance of the oil cooler 10.

Moreover, the cooling circuit in accordance with the present invention has a simplified structure, in which only an internal circuit of the cylinder block 13 and the water pump 11 is used without any pipe or hose connected to the outside of the engine, thus reducing the number of the parts, such as pipe and hose, differently from the conventional parallel cooling structure.

As described above, the cooling circuit of an oil cooler for a vehicle in accordance with embodiments of the present invention has several advantages in that it is possible to form an independent cooling circuit of the oil cooler in the whole cooling system, to ensure a large flux with small flow paths due to the large difference of pressure between the oil cooler inlet and outlet and, further, it is possible to readily control the flux, thus ensuring the performance of the oil cooler. Moreover, the cooling circuit in accordance with the present invention has a simplified structure, in which only an internal circuit of the cylinder block and the water pump is used without any pipe or hose connected to the outside of the engine, thus reducing the number of the parts, such as pipe and hose, differently from the conventional parallel cooling structure.

As above, exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been described and illustrated, however, the present invention is not limited thereto, rather, it should be understood that various modifications and variations of the present invention can be made thereto by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and the technical scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims. 

1. A cooling circuit of an oil cooler for a vehicle, comprising a cooling water inlet formed in a cylinder block to cool the oil cooler and a cooling water intake established in a water pump wherein the cooling circuit receives cooling water at a lowest temperature through said cooling water inlet and directly connects to a cooling water intake for direct communication of the cooling water of the oil cooler thereto.
 2. A cooling circuit of an oil cooler for a vehicle, comprising: a water pump mounted in cooperation with an engine cylinder block; a cooling water intake and a cooling water outlet defined in the water pump through which cooling water at low temperature cooled in a radiator and is received and supplied to the cylinder block; a cooling water inlet, provided in the cylinder block, through which the cooling water discharged via the cooling water outlet is introduced to the cylinder block; an oil cooler inlet and an oil cooler outlet, arranged in the cylinder block, through which the cooling water is supplied from the cooling water inlet to the oil cooler to cool the oil cooler and, then, discharged again to the cylinder block; and a path for collecting cooling water, formed in the water pump, through which the cooling water introduced via the oil cooler outlet to the cylinder block is supplied to the cooling water intake of the water pump.
 3. The cooling circuit of an oil cooler for a vehicle as recited in claim 1 or 2, wherein the oil cooler inlet and outlet have a pressure difference therebetween.
 4. The cooling circuit of an oil cooler for a vehicle as recited in claim 1 or 2, wherein the cooling circuit is integrated into the cylinder block and the water pump only. 